Hello reader,
Before I get into the question itself, few things that might be relevant. I am 22 year old and about to graduate college and get a big-boy job. I am pretty good with money so I might be one of those people who can afford a car they shouldn't afford because I make sacrifices in other hobbies or ways of living (such as living with my parents instead of moving out). I have a liking for BRIGHT COLOR, RWD, and MANUALS. Also a big BMW fan (I just like them).
When I was in my freshman year of college(2021), my family mechanic/friend had an E46 M3 TitaniumSilver SMG 130XXX miles(10k I paid) which I bought from him knowing he would help me with repairs and whatnot and he is a super cool friend. Being my first sports car and not knowing anything I realized very soon that the E46 M3 was going to be a money pit. Fast forward a couple of years I also got myself a Scion FR-S(learned manual) for daily after the E46 started throwing codes left and right and I knew the BIG 3 were coming up. I have been going back and forth about where to go from here. I like the F80 but I just can't get a 3rd car because I don't have space(2 cars is fine) and I also probably won't be able to afford maintenance on all 3 cars and insurance (F80, E46, FRS).
The E46 means a lot to me as it was my first sports car and the first BMW. I sometimes find myself just thinking about what I can make of it and I know it can be super cool if I can just dump some money into it. I don't like Silver but hey it's not the end of the world. The SMG would have to go($2000 conversion kit). The BIG 3 and other maintenance things that I need soon($6000+). Counting other semi-necessary things like suspension and wheels and tires and other bits I am assuming I would have to spend close to $12,000 to get it driving and looking somewhat the way I would like. I don't know much about engine rebuilds and how much it would cost to get the S54 to a point where I don't really worry about the engine and focus on maintenance. E46 M3 according to my bad calculations will at the end cost a total of 22 - 25k (not including paint/wrap and other make-it-cool goodies). Please correct me if I am wrong with any of the estimated maintenance math for the E46.
The reason that I want to keep the E46 is because I feel like the E46 M3 is such a good sports car and that I might miss this raw sports car feeling as they say. Every time I think about getting rid of it I just see how people praise it and can't convince myself(and remember that I have SMG I haven't experienced a MANUAL E46 M3). Sometimes I think that I am ahead of the curve and that it would be a mature decision to keep the TRUE SPORTS CAR and not just chase the new and the fast. If done right I know this car can be a dream to drive.
The reason I wouldn't want to keep the E46. I know it is going to take a lot of work and I don't have most of the skills or time so most of it would get done in a shop. It's going to be held down because of age and maintenance I will get less seat time than I would in a lower mileage F80 that could even be a daily(I don't want to daily it but that's not a bad thing in case FRS is down or in shop). Summarizing it, I am scared to put all this money into it and not get the seat time I want and deserve.
Going to the F80. I have liked this car for a long time now and recently started to realize it might be a more attainable thing than just a dream. I love this car's look, to me, this is what BMW is. I love everything about this car, those eyes, body lines, the sounds, and the performance. I don't want to tell you the amount of Instagram posts I have saved and the hours I spend driving the F82 in Forza Horizon(side note cool thing I also played NFSMW so I remember driving the E46 M3). The reason I want this car is I think obvious. The only reason I would not want to buy the F80 would be to keep the E46 M3. I just can't afford 2 BMWs. The total cost of the F80 would be around 45-50k for the spec(yas blue or austin yellow manual) that I want (I would keep it stock for a while because I just like how it comes from the factory). I also know that the crank hub is something. I won't be tuning the car for a very long time. I am more than happy with the stock performance.
F80 is a dream, it will cost more I think but I will get a lot of seat time(happy time).
E46 is a dream of many(I could see it being mine too), it will hopefully cost less, be a little more special, and "true BMW".
Please help me decide and I will consider every single opinion and argument. I have been dealing with this battle in my head for a very long time. I just want to put an end to it.
THANKS
